Education in Pune

Education in Pune is some of the finest in India and has various types. Pune was called "The Oxford of the east" by Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. Pune attracts students from all over the world.

Basic education

Schools in Pune are either run by the Pune Municipal Corporation, in which case they are called public schools, or privately by trusts and individuals. Private schools have been preferred by a majority of city residents because of better facilities, and in some cases, for the use of English language as the medium of instruction. A number of Marathi medium schools are more than a century old, notable among them include Huzurpaga girls' school and New English School, which was started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. All schools are affiliated either with the Maharashtra state SSC board or the all-India Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), CBSE or NIOS boards.

University education

University of Pune (formerly the University of Poona)

The University of Pune (formerly the University of Poona) was founded in 1949.The University's main campus is spread over an area of 400-acre (1.6 km²) . It is home to 46 academic departments. As of 2004, the university had 46 graduate departments, 269 affiliated colleges and 118 recognized research institutions, with an enrollment of 170,000 students for both the undergraduate and graduate courses in different faculties.^[1] Prominent affiliated colleges include the College of Engineering, Pune, established in 1854, it is the third oldest college in Asia; and the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College.

Fergusson College (FC) is a degree college that was founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society and at that time was first privately governed college in India. It is known for its close association with Indian Nationalist Politics during the British colonial era. It can also be regarded as the birthplace of Hindu Nationalism since Savarkar attended the college in early 1900s. Communist leader Shripad Amrit Dange may have formulated his ideas on Indian Socialist movement when he attended the college in 1920s.

Bharati Vidyapeeth University established 1996 offers more than 250 courses and covers all major streams of education. BVU is ranked No.1 by Times of India for International students enrollments on 2013 . As of now Bharati Vidyapeeth alumni association had 15 lakh plus members and growing. BVU is ranked among top 10 universities in India by various agencies. It's also MHRD 'A' Category university and NAAC 'A' re-accredited university .

Symbiosis International University (S.I.U) is a private co-educational, multi-institutional University located in Pune and has 19 Academic Institutions^[2] spread over 9 campuses in Pune, Nashik and Bengaluru.^[2]

Other major universities in Pune include the Global Indian International School,^[3] Bharati Vidyapeeth,Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth and the Sinhagad University.

Research institutes

There are several research institutes in Pune. The National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) a constituent member of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India, was established in 1950. It employs more than 200 research scientists and about 400 graduate students. The interdisciplinary research centre has a wide research scope and specializes in polymer science, organic chemistry, catalysis and materials chemistry.

The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) is an autonomous institution set up by the University Grants Commission to promote nucleation and growth of active groups in astronomy and astrophysics in Indian universities. IUCAA is located in the University of Pune campus next to the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, which operates the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. IUCAA has a spectacular campus designed by the renowned Indian architect, Charles Correa. Research at IUCAA spans a wide range of fields from classical and quantum gravity to instrumentation.

The Centre for Development Studies and Activities popularly known as the CDSA was established in 1976 to carry out pioneering work in Sustainable Development Planning. CDSA is a recognised research institute of the ICSSR and the University of Pune and is recognised by the University Grants Commission to teach Development Planning and Administration. It is affiliated to Pune University for its unique multi- disciplinary master's degree course. it is also recognised by the Council of Architecture to teach M.Arch in Development Planning and Administration. CDSA's research focus is "action" research and designing generic methodologies for Sustainable Development Planning in Rural, Urban and Regional contexts. CDSA' s activities include working with National and State Governments, Bilateral and Multi Lateral agencies such as the United Nations, DFID, World Bank, various NGOs and CBOs to ensure participatory, decentralised governance, operationalising the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, and conducting Citizen Empowerment workshops for capacity building. CDSA co founded the National Institute for Advanced Studies in Architecture (NIASA) with the Council of Architecture in 2004. CDSA's beautiful, serene, Eco sensitive, energy efficient campus was designed by its co founder Christopher Benninger and is one of the best examples of sustainable architecture.

The Indian Institute for Science Education and Research, Pune was established in 2006 to promote excellence in research and teaching in the basic sciences. IISER aims to combine teaching and undergraduate education with state-of-the-art scientific research.

National AIDS Research Institute, National Institute of Virology, National Centre for Cell Science are some of the research institutes working in the biological sciences. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) operates India's most powerful supercomputers, the PARAM and Padma.

The Indian Institute of Cost and Management Studies & Research (IndSearch), Pune is an autonomous business school affiliated to the University of Pune & also a recognized research centre for the Ph.D . programme under the university of Pune. Established in 1973 by a group of conscientious academicians, the institute is among the pioneering institutes in Pune credited with being a part of creating and successfully running the Masters in Computer Management (MCM) post-graduate full-time degree programme under the University of Pune. IndSearch has in the past carried out a variety of costing, accountancy & research projects for various Government, semi-Government & private organisations like the Comptroller & Auditor General of India, Yashada foundation etc.

Foreign Language Training

Pune is the largest center for Japanese language learning in India. Pune has the country's largest number of Japanese Language Proficiency Test examinees; it is also the major location for training and recruitment of Japanese language teachers. Japanese language training has been provided by the University of Pune since 1978; since then, other private institutions and individuals have also jumped into the field. ^[4][5] Other languages such as German (Max Muller Bhavan) and French (Alliance française de Pune) are also popular amongst Punities.

Private Institutes for Vocational Training

• Aakash Institute
• Prime Academy has six centers in Pune ^[6]
• GATE Coaching, provides coaching for GATE examination
• SEICCO Institute of Special Education, provides Counselling & Psychotherapy Service for students from 7th to 12th standards and graduates/undergraduates for any psychological problems like absenteeism, scoring less marks, study problems, memory loss, examination or Interview fears, Lack of Confidence, Shyness & Inferiority complexes, Abnormal Behavior, Lack of Concentration etc.
• TRAVIND Institute of Travel & Tourism Management (Pvt Ltd) offers various specialized courses in the Travel and Tourism management arena, along with focused job assistance including Sandwich Diploma in Travel & Tourism,Specialization Diploma in Travel & Tourism, Fast track Training in Travel & Tourism, Specialization Courses in Visa, Tour operator( Domestic & International ), Foreign Exchange, Air Ticketing.^[7][7]

Education institutes dedicated to the defence forces

Pune is host to several excellent educational institutes specifically dedicated to Defence forces. They are:

• National Defence Academy (NDA), is located at Khadakwasla, on the outskirts of Pune. It is a joint services institution for training young cadets as future officers of the Defence Services. The motto of the Academy is 'Sewa Paramo Dharma (Service Before Self)'.
• Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) (previously the IAT, Institute of Armament Technology), was established in 1952 and moved to its current campus of Girinagar in 1967. It was made as a deemed University since 2000. Primary aim of this institute is to provide Higher Education in Science and Technology related to defence requirements in general and weapon systems in particular.
• Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), was set up in 1948 in the immediate post-world war period. AFMC is responsible for training of medical undergraduates and post-graduates, dental postgraduates, nursing cadets and paramedical staff. Patient care forms an integral part of its training curriculum and the attached hospitals benefits from the expertise available at AFMC. The institution is responsible for providing the entire pool of specialists and super specialists to Armed Forces by giving them in service training.
• College of Military Engineering (CME), located at Dapodi. The erstwhile School of Military Engineering (SME) established in September 1943 at Roorkee moved to its present location at Pune in 1948. It is a premier technical and tactical training institution of the Corps of Engineers encompassing the four pillars viz. Combat Engineers, Military Engineering Service, Border Roads Organisation and Survey.
• Army Institute of Technology (AIT), located at Dighi was established in August 1994. It was started with aim to provide Engineering education to the wards of Indian Army personnel.
• Army Institute of Physical Training (AIPT) (formerly called AIPT, Army School of Physical Training), located at Hadapsar was established in 1947. It is the cradle of physical and recreational training in the Army. It has training infrastructure to impart systematic and comprehensive instructions on physical training. Selected candidates from all ranks of the Army, students from the police, para-military forces and friendly foreign countries attend various courses on physical training and allied subjects at ASPT.
• Institute of National Integration (INI), Pune imparts training to Officers, Personnel Below Officer Rank and Religious Teachers. Its focus is on instilling a sense of national and cultural unity in the officer corps.
• Army Sports Institute (ASI) at Pune and Army Sports Nodes is a public-relations sports centre, intended for portraying the Army in a positive light. Appropriate funds have been earmarked for the construction and equipment coupled with food habitat, advertising and training under foreign coaches.
• Military Intelligence Training School and Depot (MITSD)
• Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, located at Khadki, was established in 1993, under an MoU between The Ministry of Defence (Government of India) and Symbiosis Group (Now Symbiosis International University) primarily to enable Defence personnel and their dependents pursue Management Education.

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